The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a search for a student believed to be connected to the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School that claimed the lives of 16 students in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
In a statement issued on May 31, investigators revealed that the student is among seven suspects positively identified through CCTV footage analyzed at the DCI Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory. Unlike the other identified suspects, however, she is not currently in custody after having been previously released to her parents.
According to the DCI, six of the students earlier arrested have since been conclusively identified through forensic review of the footage and remain under investigation. Detectives say efforts are now focused on tracing and apprehending the seventh suspect, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The fatal blaze broke out on May 28, sending shockwaves across the country and leaving more than 70 students injured. Authorities have described the search for the missing student as a critical component of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
The tragedy has prompted widespread calls for accountability and reforms in school safety. President William Ruto directed security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation, while Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen pledged a transparent inquiry into the incident.
Post-mortem examinations conducted at Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital confirmed that all 16 victims died from severe burn injuries. Due to the extent of the burns, authorities have relied on DNA samples provided by families to formally identify the deceased.
The DCI has appealed to members of the public with information that could assist in locating the missing student or advance the investigation to come forward as efforts to establish responsibility for one of Kenya’s deadliest school fires continue.